Westport, Weston and Wilton in Bioterrorism Pact

Westport, Weston and Wilton have prepared a joint emergency plan in case of a bioterrorism or smallpox attack.

The three towns were designated by the state Department of Health as a single smallpox planning area and have jointly developed the plan which is required to be submitted to the state by March 1, according to Judy Nelson, director of the Westport Weston Health District.

The Westport Board of Selectmen will consider approval of a memorandum of understanding regarding the plan at its Feb. 25 meeting.

According to Nelson, the three towns have established a smallpox planning team and identified specific clinic sites as well as trained staff to man the sites in case of a smallpox outbreak or bioterrorism attack.

Saturday, February 21, 2004

8 p.m. Pequot Library, Southport - Westport Arts Center presents the Fred Hersch Trio jazz music concert

Martha Stewart Trial Update: Government Rests Case

The government rested its case against Westport's Martha Stewart and her stockbroker today after a critical prosecution witness – Westport real estate agent Mariana Pasternak -- wavered slightly about testimony that had damaged Stewart.

Prosecutors called 21 witnesses over 14 days in the case. But whether the jury will hear from Stewart, or even deliberate on one of the charges against her, will remain a mystery until at least next week.

U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum said she would rule Monday on a motion by Stewart attorney Robert Morvillo to dismiss some or all the charges against his client -- although she indicated that throwing out all the charges was unlikely.

Morvillo was particularly concerned about the charge of securities fraud, which the judge termed "the most problematic" in the indictment against Stewart.

The count accuses Stewart of deceiving investors in her own company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, by announcing her ImClone Systems sale was proper.

After a weekend of working on legal papers, both sides will make their arguments Monday morning on the dismissal motion.

The witnesses on the final day of the case against the multimillionaire homemaker included her erstwhile best friend, Pasternak, who provided Stewart with some wiggle room today after earlier damaging testimony.

On Thursday, Pasternak had testified that Stewart told her shortly after selling ImClone stock that she had been aware ImClone founder Sam Waksal was trying to dump his shares.

In a separate conversation, Pasternak testified, Stewart told her, "Isn't it nice to have brokers who tell you those things?"

But under cross-examination today by Morvillo, Pasternak said it was possible that remark was simply a thought that crossed her own mind -- not something Stewart said.

"It is fair to say I do not know if that statement was made by Martha or if that was just a thought in my mind," she said.

Prosecutor Michael Schachter, trying to bolster Pasternak's credibility, asked what her "best belief" was about the remark.

"That Martha said it," Pasternak replied.

Pasternak never wavered in the central element of her testimony -- that Stewart was aware when she sold ImClone shares on Dec. 27, 2001, that Waksal had been trying to sell as well.

Stewart told investigators in April 2002 that she had no memory of being told about Waksal just before she sold.

It did not come out in court, but Pasternak may have been persuaded to testify after federal investigators quizzed her vascular surgeon ex-husband about selling his ImClone stock the day after Stewart sold hers.

Stewart and her co-defendant, broker Peter Bacanovic, claim they had an agreement to sell ImClone when the price fell to $60 per share.

The government contends that was a cover story hatched after the ImClone investigation began.

Once Pasternak left the stand, the government sought to back up the testimony of Douglas Faneuil, a former Merrill Lynch & Co. assistant.

The government's star witness testified that he passed the tip about Waksal from Bacanovic, his boss, to Stewart.

Faneuil initially supported the $60 story. But he struck a cooperation deal with the government in June 2002 and agreed to testify against Stewart and Bacanovic -- an indication, the defense says, that he is a liar.

Two friends of Faneuil testified today that he was distraught in January 2002, long before he changed his account, and he confided in them that he was being pressured by his boss to lie.

Friday, February 20, 2004

9:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Commission for Senior Services

Martha Stewart Trial: Westporter vs Westporter

It was Westporter vs Westporter at Martha Stewart's stock fraud trial today.

Stewart's close friend and fellow Westporter Mariana Pasternak testified that just days after selling her ImClone Systems stock, Stewart said she knew that ImClone CEO Sam Waksal had been trying to dump his shares in the company.

The revelation by Pasternak, a friend of Stewart for more than 20 years, was perhaps the most damaging testimony yet against Stewart, who claims she sold the stock for an entirely different reason.

One reporter said Pasternak seemed relaxed, answering questions in her clipped accent and smiling frequently. Another said Stewart "glared" at Pasternak as she wound up her testimony.

A third wrote that "Stewart kept her eyes glued on Pasternak."

Pasternak said Stewart told her about the Waksal sale on Dec. 30, 2001, just three days after Stewart sold her 3,928 shares of ImClone. The pair were on a terrace at a Mexican resort where they were vacationing.

"I remember Martha saying Sam was walking funny at the Christmas party, that he was selling or trying to sell his stock, that his daughter was selling or trying to sell her stock,'' Pasternak testified.

She said Stewart added: "Isn't it nice to have brokers who tell you those things?''

Pasternak, speaking in a hushed courtroom, said she remembered the evening because she and Stewart had been out hiking and were too tired to go down to dinner.

She said the conversation occurred before the end of December 2001. Prosecutors then showed a hotel bill for a guided hike that occurred on Dec. 30.

What Stewart knew about Waksal when she sold her stock goes to the heart of the U.S. government's case that Stewart repeatedly lied to investigators in the ImClone probe.

Stewart told investigators she never recalled being tipped that Waksal was selling, and that she sold instead because she and her stockbroker had a pre-arranged agreement to sell Stewart's ImClone shares when they fell below a certain price.

Pasternak, a Westport real estate agent for Nicholas H. Fingelly, said she and Stewart had been friends for more than 20 years, spoke by phone every day and had traveled together to Peru and the Galapagos Islands.

The pair were staying at Las Ventanas, a luxurious resort in Los Cabos, Mexico. Prosecutors displayed records showing the two ran up tens of thousands of dollars in bills for spa treatments, individual meals and other services.

Pasternak was flying on a private plane with Stewart on the day Stewart sold her stock, and testified Stewart had "a raised tone of voice" on the telephone at a refueling stop in Texas.

It was on a call from the refueling stop that Stewart sold her stock.

Pasternak, 50, is the estranged wife of Westport vascular surgeon Bart Pasternak, who also owned ImClone stock.

Why Pasternak turned on her longtime friend could only be speculated upon by those in the courtroom.

But one theory among spectators was that Pasternak may have turned state's evidence when federal prosecutors hinted that she possibly might face some charges as well in the probe.

On Jan. 29, the New York Post reported that Pasternak "lives in a tony beach house in Westport" and had been battling her own financial and legal problems

The newspaper said its research into her background included a check of records at the Westport Town Clerk's office.

Stewart is the godmother of two of Pasternak's daughters, Monica, 20, and Lara, 17, and once took them on an exotic trip to the Galapagos Islands, the newspaper said.

"They've been close for a long, long time, so I don't know how they're going to handle this can of worms," said one acquaintance quoted by the Post.

Apart from the stress of having to testify against her pal, Pasternak is knee-deep in financial problems, according to records filed at the Westport Town Clerk's office, the newspaper said.

Two federal tax liens have been filed against her property for a total of $380,000.

Another two liens show Pasternak hasn't paid more than $12,000 in taxes to Westport. the Post said.

A local builder, Juno Filho, of Southern New England Renovations, is also suing Pasternak for an unpaid $83,000 for renovations, the files say.

One acquaintance said Pasternak has recently put her Westport property on the market for $1.7 million.

She bought the property for $908,000 just over three years ago, around the time she split with her husband, the Post said.

Pasternak's Web site in fact lists a home for sale described as a "tony Westport beach house" with a price of $1.7 million.

It describes it this way: "Direct Waterfront. Beachfront property on Old Mill Pond. With waterviews from every room. Recent renovation - great amenities. A water lovers dream come true! Offered at $1,700,000."

Pasternak's Web site cites her wide experience in the area as well as expertise in foreign languages: "conversational skills in many foreign languages; French, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian."

"Mariana is a mercurial type of person. She's demanding and she looks after herself first," one acquaintance said.

Sources told The Post last year that Stewart stepped in to pay tens of thousands of dollars of legal bills for Pasternak just before she began speaking with the government in 2002 about Stewart's ImClone sale.

The Wall Street Journal reported in August 2002 that Pasternak's ex-husband sold 10,000 shares of ImClone stock shortly before the ImClone news about the FDA's decision was disclosed.

It quoted his attorney, Craig Raabe, as saying Bart Pasternak had been interviewed by federal and congressional investigators examining the matter about the sale.

Raabe said his client did not have any information about the FDA prior to the sale. "He made his own investment decision," Raabe said, according to the newspaper.

"There was a declining price and greatly increasing volume. Most investors would think that's a potential need to hedge."

Earlier today, both the prosecution and the defense suffered setbacks.

A federal judge blocked the government from showing jurors Stewart haggling over reimbursements from her company for haircuts, coffee and other minor expenses.

Prosecutors wanted to raise the issue to head off the assertion by Stewart's lawyer that she would not have focused closely on her sale of ImClone Systems stock.

That sale netted Stewart less than $250,000. She was once worth $1 billion.

Outside the jury's presence, U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum heard testimony from James Follo, the chief financial officer of Stewart's company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Follo said he and Stewart had disagreed over whether she should be reimbursed for such expenses as being driven to shop for antiques and having her hair done.

"I'm relatively sure there were items in the $200 range that were at issue," Follo said.

He said Stewart also had submitted claims for reimbursement for coffee and snacks.

But Cedarbaum said she would not allow such testimony before the jury because "there are too many things about it that lead down other roads."

"I think it's an elephant bringing forth a mouse," she said.

The judge also blocked Stewart's lawyer, Robert Morvillo, from arguing to jurors that the ImClone sale was "too small for Ms. Stewart to focus on."

After Cedarbaum's rulings, the trial resumed with the prosection calling to the stand Lawrence Stewart, an expert in ink analysis. The witness is not related to Martha Stewart.

Lawrence Stewart was asked to comment on a spread sheet, which the defense claims bolsters their claim that Stewart and her co-defendant, Peter Bacanovic, had a pre-existing agreement to sell her ImClone stock if it fell under $60 per share.

He said that a notation, "@60," was made with different ink than all the other notations made on the piece of paper. The government alleges that Bacanovic altered the spread sheet.

On Wednesday, the judge said she would allow Morvillo to argue for dismissal of the most serious count against Stewart, securities fraud, before the trial goes to the jury.

The hearing could be Friday, after the government rests its case against Stewart.

The securities fraud count accuses Stewart of trying to prop up the value of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia by lying to investors about why she dumped ImClone Systems stock in December 2001.

The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. The four other counts against Stewart carry five years each. Federal guidelines would dramatically reduce the sentence on any charge if Stewart were convicted.

Christie's Country Store Sold

Christie's Country Store, a fixture on Westport's Cross Highway for almost eight decades, has changed hands again. The Town Clerk's office reported the property at 161 Cross Highway was sold by Cross Highway LLC to Sasco III LLC, whose principals include Bob Corroon of Fairfield, for $1.1 million. The store for many years was run by Christie Masiello before her death at the age of 88 in 1989. Westport's HK Group, which represented the buyer and seller, said this was the the fourth sale of the property in the last 15 years. The previous one was recorded in February 2002. WestportNow.com photo

Westport Property Transfers Feb. 9-13, 2004

Property transfers as reported by the Westport Town Clerk's office for the period Feb. 9-13, 2004.

Theodore Krieger to Ilse Stephanie Krieger, 164 Long Lots Road, trusteee deed, $267,000.

Theodore Krieger to Ilse Stephanie Krieger, 164 Long Lots Road, quit claim, $267,000.

John W Schoenfeldt Jr. to John E Clark Jr., 167 North Ave, admin deed, $175,000.

Estate of Claire L. Clark to John E. Clark Jr., 167 North Ave., $575,000.

James S. Davidson and Lyn M. McHugh to Lawrence E. Janes and John W. Williams Jr., 64 Bayberrry Lane, $785,000.

Robert C. and Donna Mae Glendinning to Jeffrey Hingst, 10 Park Lane, $616,000.

Joanne O'Reily to Kevin K. Foley, 33 Ferry Lane East,, $2,550,000.

Samuel P. and Joanne E. Arciola to Joseph E Arciola, 8 Underhill Parkway, $322,000.

John Drew Mcclenahan and Ann Mercia Glynn to Pascal and Claudia R. Loup, 10 Cedar Road, $610,000.

Daniel W. and Kristen T. Mahra to Gary Brian and Jaimie Dockray, 157 Greens Farms Road, $1,250,000.

Cross Highway LLC to Sasco III LLC, 161 Cross Highway, $1,100,000.

Westport Home and Land Co. LLC to Martina Nicholis Israel, 8 Terra Nova Circle., $845,000.

Barbara Wriston to Therese C Russell, 302 Lansdowne, $660,000.

W. Glenn Major Trust to Ilsa A. and Stuart W. Hazlewood, 195 Hillspoint Road, $1,295,000.

Thursday, February 19, 2004

7:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 309/307 - TEAM Westport Committee
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Planning & Zoning Commission

Martha Stewart Trial: Prosecutors Say Martha Propped Up Her Own Stock

Prosecutors in the trial of Westport's Martha Stewart today tried to prove that she tried to prop up the value of her own company by lying to her investors about why she sold ImClone Systems stock.

Jurors saw a bright red chart of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia stock that showed brief spikes in the price after Stewart ssued two statements in June 2002 denying wrongdoing in the ImClone investigation.

In both statements, she denied receiving advance word on Dec. 27, 2001, just before she dumped ImClone stock, that the government would decline to review ImClone's cancer-fighting drug.

The government never charged her with insider trading.

But Stewart also insisted that she and her stockbroker had a prior deal to sell ImClone when it fell below $60.

The government contends that agreement never happened, and that Stewart was tipped that ImClone CEO Sam Waksal was trying to sell.

Prosecutors contend that Stewart, trying to protect the hundreds of millions of dollars she had in her own company's stock, was misleading her investors.

The charge, securities fraud, is the most serious of the five against her.

U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum has called the charge "novel," and Stewart lawyer Robert Morvillo indicated today he would ask her to dismiss the count when the government rests its case later this week.

Stewart and broker Peter Bacanovic are charged with other crimes, including conspiracy and obstruction of justice, related to Stewart's explanation for her ImClone sale.

The government and defense spent much of the day highlighting for jurors segments of news articles that appeared after word of the ImClone probe broke in June 2002.

The judge repeatedly warned lawyers and the jury that the articles were not evidence.

"The fact that you hear what the articles say does not mean that any of those statements are true," Cedarbaum told jurors at one point. "It just means that was the publicity at the time."

Morvillo pointed to news accounts speculating that Stewart sold the stock on insider information and was romantically linked to Waksal, which Stewart has denied.

Waksal is serving a seven-year prison sentence for insider trading.

In one, a Minnesota Public Radio anchor says: "It looks like Martha Stewart may have kissed and sold."

Stewart lawyers also suggested any boost the stock price received from her statements, on June 12 and June 18, 2002, was short-lived.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia dropped from $19.01 on June 6 to below $15 on June 19.

But prosecutors pointed to articles that showed investors were jittery about Stewart's connections to Waksal, a longtime friend, after Waksal was arrested on June 12, 2002.

"The government highlights these portions to show what the market thought was important at the time," prosecutor Michael Schachter told the judge outside jurors' presence.

Prosecutors said they expect to rest their case late Thursday or Friday.

Jurors will hear Thursday from an ink expert who is expected to testify that Bacanovic used two different inks on a worksheet of Stewart's stock sales in late 2001.

The government contends he used the second pen to add a notation of "60" after she sold, to make their supposed agreement seem legitimate. Bacanovic's lawyers contend he simply used separate pens.

Stewart faces up to 30 years in prison on the counts she is charged with, while Bacanovic faces 25.

If convicted, either would likely receive much less time under a Congress-mandated formula judges use to determine sentences.

Boys Varsity Basketball: Staples Beats Stamford Knights 73-61

The Staples boys varsity beat the Stamford Knights 73-61 tonight as John Baumann scored 38 and Joe Forbes had 24 points in the victory.

Staples goes to 14-4 overall and 11-4 in the FCIAC.

The JV team won 90-58 to go to 15-3 overall and 12-3 in the FCIAC.

The Freshmen boys lost 66-54 to fall to 8-9 overall and 6-8 in the FCIAC.

Next games are at New Canaan on Monday.

"Kid's Guide to Westport" Debuts

The "Kids Guide to Westport and Beyond…" made its debut today at the Town Hall brown bag lunch. Written by second graders last year at Saugatuck Elementary School, the booklet was published with the help of desktop publishing students at Staples High School. "The Guide is a unique perspective on the wonderful aspects of Westport and the surrounding areas as seen through the eyes of our children," according to its introduction. Saugatuck will hold a publication party Friday, Feb. 27 at 1:45 p.m. at the school auditorium. WestportNow.com photo

Celebrating Publication of "The Kid's Guide to Westport"

Today's brown bag lunch at Westport Town Hall hosted by First Selectwoman Diane Goss Farrell heard about publication of "The Kid's Guide to Westport and Beyond…For Kids and By Kids." The guide was published by second graders at Saugatuck Elementary School with the help of desktop publishing students and faculty at Staples High School. Saugatuck teachers Kenneth Hine and Rae Anne Locke watch as one of their students, Maddie, explains the guide to Farrell and other lunch guests. WestportNow.com photo

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

10:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - International Hospitality Committee
Noon - Town Hall Room 309/307 - Citizens Brown Bag Luncheon
7 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Conservation Commission

Martha Stewart Trial: Judge Limits Part of Government Argument

A federal judge overseeing the stock fraud trial of Westport's Martha Stewart today limited the government's effort to prove Stewart and her stockbroker conspired to lie about her sale of ImClone Systems stock.

The judge blocked prosecutors from putting into evidence a voice mail that broker Peter Bacanovic left for Stewart on Feb. 4, 2002, the day she was first interviewed by the government in the ImClone investigation.

"The fact that he tried to contact her really isn't evidence of anything, other than that they talked to each other sometimes," U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum said.

The essence of the conspiracy charge is that Stewart and Bacanovic worked together to hatch a cover story for why Stewart sold 3,928 shares of ImClone Systems stock on Dec. 27, 2001.

The government claims Bacanovic ordered his assistant to tip Stewart that ImClone founder Sam Waksal was trying to sell his shares. Stewart and the broker say they had arranged earlier to sell ImClone when it fell below $60 a share.

Prosecutor Karen Patton Seymour argued the voice mail placed just after 7 a.m. on Feb. 4, 2002 is evidence of Bacanovic's state of mind in the alleged conspiracy. Stewart gave the first of two interviews to investigators later that day.

The judge also limited what prosecutors can argue about two other calls between Stewart and Bacanovic on Jan. 25, 2002, the day Stewart was informed that federal prosecutors wanted to speak with her.

Cedarbaum said those calls can only be used to show the pair spoke with each other. "I don't think you can argue that there is significance to the date without knowing the content of the call," she said.

On Friday, the judge barred prosecutors from putting into evidence a record of a phone call from Bacanovic to Stewart on Jan. 31, 2002, just after, according to testimony, Stewart changed a message log of a Dec. 27 Bacanovic call.

Stewart immediately told her assistant to change the message back to its original wording, testimony showed.

The new setbacks to the government also came on the heels of the judge's ruling on Friday that blocks prosecutors from calling expert witnesses as they try to show Stewart committed securities fraud.

That charge accuses the domesticity maven of propping up the stock price of her own company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, by falsely claiming she was innocent and cooperating with investigators in the ImClone probe.

The ruling Friday means prosecutors will not be allowed to call stock analysts as witnesses to show what effect Stewart's statements had on the stock price. They may still be allowed to call individual investors.

Securities fraud, carrying up to a 10-year prison term, is the most serious of the five counts against Stewart. The other four - conspiracy, obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements - carry five years apiece.

The arguments on the phone calls came outside the jury's presence today, the start of the fourth week of Stewart and Bacanovic's trial in Manhattan federal court.

In front of the jury, prosecutors and an FBI special agent walked through a step-by-step, full-color graphic on a projection screen that showed ImClone-related phone calls on Dec. 27, 2001.

Those calls included some from Waksal's daughters and his accountant, all wanting to sell ImClone shares. Waksal later admitted advance knowledge of the negative government report that would soon send the stock on a sharp decline.

But prosecutors were limited by the judge in their presentation of the chart. Cedarbaum ordered the government to black out references to ImClone's falling stock price on Dec. 27, and to e-mails sent the same day.

The judge said prosecutors could tie all the information together as part of their closing argument - but not in a single piece of evidence.

This afternoon, prosecutors put into evidence dozens of records from a system Bacanovic used to log call and meetings he had with clients at Merrill Lynch & Co.

The records contained notes of discussions Bacanovic and Stewart had in late 2001, but no reference to ImClone between Oct. 26 and Dec. 26.

Prosecutors were apparently introducing the records to shoot down Bacanovic's insistence he and Stewart agreed to sell ImClone when the price fell to $60 per share.

Prosecutors said last week they intend to rest their case Thursday. The defense is likely to take several weeks, meaning the case should go to jurors in March.

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

8:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Human Services Commission
10 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Administrative Review Committee
7 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Zoning Board of Appeals work session
7 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201/201A - RTM Planning & Zoning Committee

Boys Varsity Basketball: Staples Beats Wilton 69-50; Baumann Sets Record

Staples beat Wilton 69-50 tonignt, clinching a berth in the FCIAC tournament.

Senior John Baumann scored a career-high 46 points and in the process became Staples' all-time leading scorer, surpassing the record held for 25 years by Dom Calise

He now has 1,532 versus Calise's old record of 1,525 set in 1979.

Baumann's 46-point total was one point less than the record one game mark of 47 scored by Jerry Cizynski in 1981 and tied Mark Cizynski's 46 in 1973.

The JV won and the freshmen lost.

Staples is 13-4 overall and 10-4 in the FCIAC.

Next game is against Stamford at home on Wednesday.

Staples Among Schools Suffering from Test Start Time Law

Staples High School in Westport is among state schools suffering because a lawmaker last year thought sleepy students shouldn't be taking high-stakes standardized tests until they are a little more awake.

As high schools prepare to give the Connecticut Academic Performance (CAP) Test to sophomores this spring, school officials say a new law that bars standardized testing before 9 a.m. is wreaking havoc on schedules, according to an AP report.

The problem is that school officials who finesse the clockwork of a school day don't know what to do with a large group of students who would be on a totally different schedule than the rest of the student body.

And they say it's causing kinks in everything from bus schedules to lunch schedules to class schedules.

"They cannot administer the tests without, in most cases anyway, sending other kids home or bringing them in late," said Michael Savage, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools.

In Westport, students who are not scheduled to take the CAP test will come in later in the day, said Richard Franzis, an assistant principal at Staples High School. But that means missing hours of class time.

"It severely compromises the educational program for those kids, and costs the town a tremendous amount of money for the extra bus runs," Franzis said.

Lawmakers will take up a bill this week that would let schools begin tests at 8:30 a.m. if they can prove they're having substantial trouble. But with the test week looming in April, the legislature is under a tight deadline.

"This is going to move at light speed," said Sen. Thomas Gaffey, D-Meriden, co-chairman of the legislature's Education Committee. "It's clear to me we've got to make the change."

Some studies suggest that teenagers need more sleep and tend to perform better in school later in the day. Because standardized tests are used as a barometer for school performance under the federal No Child Left Behind law, test results are critical.

Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin Sullivan, D-West Hartford, said he proposed the original legislation with that in mind. But school systems will benefit by starting a discussion about the benefits of later start times, he said.

"Kids are not ready to learn. They're at their lowest performance level of the day. The earlier it is, the worse it is," Sullivan said. "If we're holding teachers, schools, and everybody accountable in the world, it's just dumb."

Under the compromise bill, schools that want a waiver to begin testing at 8:30 a.m. would have to promise to hold a forum on school start times, Sullivan said.

Savage said school officials are still frustrated with the compromise bill. He said while most agree schools can do a better job, answers aren't clear.

"If (students) know they can get up later in the morning, they're just going to stay up later at night," he said. "Starting tests at a later time is not going to be productive."

Sullivan disagrees.

"We want a conversation," he said. "Kids understand this. Parents understand this. Teachers who teach early in the day understand this. Administrators who worry about school buses and coaches who worry about sports in the afternoon don't understand this."

Sunday, February 15, 2004

11 a.m. Bedford Middle School -- Antique Show
2 p.m. Town Hall - Westport Community Theatre's "Godspell"
2 p.m. - Westport Public Library - Director's View Film Festival - Screening of St. Clair Bourne film and reception and discussion